This project seeks a basis for improved treatment of patients with malignant intracranial neoplasms through systematic studies of experimental neuro-oncology. The principal thrust of this research involving in vitro studies of glial tumor cell biology at the cellular and subcellular levels. Colony assay techniques are utilized to assess quantitatively the effects of chemotherapeutic agents and ionizing radiation on cell function and viability. Single and combined modality studies have encompassed the effects of treatment on cell kinetics, biochemical mechanisms and enzymatic properties. An animal model has been tested (transplantable hamster medulloblastoma) for in vivo applications. Clinical trials of several oncolytic drugs on childhood neoplasms, i.e. brain stem gliomas, are being done on a selected basis utilizing protocols approved by The Brain Tumor Study Group.